<p>Hey, I'm currently a sophomore in high school (class of 2012) and I have been doing exstensive college searching for the past couple of months. I am very academically inclined, having a 4.0 unweighted GPA and taking 2 AP courses this year, 4 next year, and probably 6 senior year. Yes, I know, it seems overkill, but I also balance this with a pretty good social life. I am very interested in marine biology (hence my nickname) and am interested in the Marine Science/Biology double major program at University of Miami. I am looking for a college on the coast that is warm almost year-round. I would like to know what people think of University of Miami, and any tips they have for me as I progress through my high school career. Thanks!</p>
<p>UM’s a great place, but if you’re already taking AP’s you should look into higher ranked colleges. Doing some high school research or participating in science contests (esp if you placed high) would look really good. If you live here, they probably have talks about the research in UM (I’m not in marine bio), you could come to some of them, see how the place is. Good AP grades and SAT grades won’t hurt.</p>
<p>I live in Maryland, where at this moment I am in the middle of a blizzard. Do you know of any schools I should look into that are on the East Coast that fit my other criteria?</p>
<p>evievi</p>
<p>You obviously are not familiar with Miami’s marine program! </p>
<p>The Rosensteil School of Marine and Atmospheric Science is one of the absolute BEST undergrad Marine programs in the country. The scores of the students in this program (only 100 are lucky enough to get in each year) are the highest at the University. It is also the school’s most difficult and challenging program. </p>
<p>My daughter is a freshman in this program. She had a 3.96% UW GPA and a 4.42% W GPA. She took 11 APs and 1 college course. She had too many ec’s to list (lots of leadership and volunteering) and was on two swim teams. Many of the students in this program have BETTER stats than hers. She has a guaranteed transfer to Cornell for next year, but is so happy with the quality of the academics at Miami that she has no further interest in Cornell. </p>
<p>Miami’s program is a double major. My daughter is triple majoring (marine science/biology/chemistry). For her 11 APs she was given 38 credits and entered the University as a sophomore. Many students have also received very generous merit aid scholarships.</p>
<p>Another great thing about the school is the ability to do research at the undergrad level.My daughter is currently working at the National Aplysia Resource. Here is a link:</p>
<p>[The</a> Rosenstiel School: Aplysia Facility](<a href=“http://aplysia.miami.edu/]The”>http://aplysia.miami.edu/)</p>
<p>They also have the Baker Coral Reef Futures Lab:</p>
<p>[The</a> Rosenstiel School: Coral Reef Futures Lab](<a href=“http://www.rsmas.miami.edu/groups/reef-futures/]The”>http://www.rsmas.miami.edu/groups/reef-futures/)</p>
<p>Miami is a fantastic place for someone with your interests. Your stats are great and if you keep to your plan you should have an excellent chance of attending this great University, maybe even with a generous merit scholarship! Good luck to you.</p>
<p>Thanks! I don’t have many ec’s, but the ones I do have are Boy Scouts (Soon to be Eagle Scout) and most likely National Honor Society. I also volunteered at the National Aquarium in Baltimore. Do you think I should try to find some others?</p>
<p>Eagle Scout is REALLY great and highly respected. My son is working on his Eagle project at the moment.</p>
<p>Make sure you do some more volunteering and also try to find some clubs/activities at your school that are related to your major. My daughter was President of the IDI Biology club and did Science League and Math League competitions. She also was in Language Honor Society, Music Honor Society (for violin and string bass), was in church choir, Relay for Life team captain and student committee, Debate Team, Girl Scout Silver award, N.J. Governor’s School, etc, etc. </p>
<p>What they tend to look for the most is ecs that are major related. Try to concentrate on those instead of trying to do too much. I think my daughter overdid it and had a great resume, but no time for a social life.</p>
<p>Oh, I also forgot to mention Scuba Club!!!</p>
<p>It is the largest club on campus. You can learn to dive right there for a great price and most dives on weekends are only $35.00. The dive my daughter went on last weekend was great. She saw a giant stingray and two 6’ moray eels that like to play with the divers. </p>
<p>The first week of classes they take all the marine kids on a snorkeling trip off the coast of Key Biscayne! </p>
<p>There is also Aquarium club, where they maintain all the research tanks.</p>
<p>The marine honor society is called Rho Rho Rho. Lol!!!</p>
<p>That sounds so cool!!! You have no idea how much I want to go to somewhere warm right now. In Maryland we just had 2 blizzards that totalled up to be the greatest snowfall of one season in Maryland history, and I just want to get out, haha. I also forgot to mention that I did this program called CTY for 3 years. It’s this program through Johns Hopkins University, and I took a class in Crystals and Polymers, one class in Bay Ecology, and another class in Oceanography (the last one was in Hawaii: greatest trip ever!) I think I will probably join the Science club at our school as well.</p>
<p>I am in NJ so I feel your pain!</p>
<p>My daughter keeps taunting me from warm sunny Miami she says “snow, what snow?”</p>
<p>My son graduated from UM undergrad with a BS in Biology & Marine Sciences, (with an additional minor in Chemistry, which is automatic given the requirements of both majors). He was hired out of school to work at Rosenstiel. The advice you’ve gotten so far has been very good, let me add a few points.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>There are very few undergraduate “Marine Sciences” programs around the country. The philosophy at Miami is that you need to have an expertise in one of the “base” sciences and then add Marine studies to that. As a result all Marine Sciences majors must double major in Marine Sciences and either Biology, Chemistry, Physics or Geology. This gives you a broader base of knowledge and improves your job/grad school prospects if the Marine thing doesn’t work out.</p></li>
<li><p>The running joke on campus is that every Miami ungrad is a Marine Sciences major for at least one semester before they graduate. Once they learn that it’s not “swimming with dolphins” 99% switch to other majors. Obviously this is an exaggeration, but the point is that the program is “real” science and not some academic version of Steve Irwin, Crocodile Hunter.</p></li>
<li><p>The best new advice I can give you is to get your SCUBA certification as soon as possible. My son completed his on his 12th birthday. He had over 100 dives before arriving at Miami, which more than qualified him for the research diving course offered at the school. His personal experience combined with the course opened up huge numbers of research opportunities for him, from weekend collection dives during the school year to week and month long research trips in the Caribbean, Central and South America all paid for by the school. </p></li>
</ol>
<p>Miami works to get undergrads involved in research as quickly as they want. SCUBA is not required, but it does open up more possibilities and who knows, you just might end swimming with dolphins, or hammerheads, or whales, or eels, or rays, or…you get the picture.</p>
<p>Yeah, I hope to get SCUBA certified either this summer or next summer, so I will definitely do that. And also, I have basically been saying marine biology since I was 6, and during the past few years I have come to realize that I am not one of those people who thinks marine biology is just about swimming with dolphins. sharks, etc. I have been fascinated by all marine life in general, so I believe this program will be a perfect fit for me.</p>
<p>I found out that I will be getting my SCUBA certification at Boy Scout camp! YES!!!</p>
<p>If you’re highly qualified and want to study marine science, UM gives amazing merit aid for a private school, and it’s marine science program is easily top 3 in the country!</p>
<p>Most of the Marine Sci kids are the smartest ones in the school and the program is only about 80 kids per class so you get to know those who do Marine Sci. good luck</p>
<p>Thanks, sooo looking forward to the day I get out of high school, haha</p>
<p>I am from Miami and go to school in Boston… wishing I was back home!! You should absolutely go to UM, especially for Marine Biology. You’ll absolutely love it. I always wanted to study Marine Biology but somehow gave it up for Business. I’m so jealous of yoouuuu.</p>
<p>Thanks for the support!</p>